The Raiders all but locked up Nnamdi Asomugha for next season by tendering a one-year contract last month. Now they are working on a trade that would add DeAngelo Hall from Atlanta and pair him with Asomugha to form one of the NFL’s top cornerback tandems.

The Raiders last week received permission to speak with Hall’s agent, Joel Segal, about the prospect of a deal that would satisfy the Falcons, the Raiders and Hall. By week’s end, Hall was in Alameda at the Raiders’ training facility for a physical and meetings with managing general partner Al Davis, Coach Lane Kiffin and defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, among others.

A deal is not imminent, according to two people in the Raiders front office. However, ESPN reported Saturday that the sides have reached an agreement in principle on a trade that would send Hall to the Raiders in exchange for the Raiders’ second-round pick in April’s draft. The report added that the completion of the deal hinged upon the Raiders and Segal restructuring Hall’s contract so that he would become one of the highest-paid cornerbacks in the league.

Hall, 24, is scheduled to earn $4.2 million in 2008 under his existing contract, which he can void after the 2008 season. He was selected to the Pro Bowl in the 2005 and ’06 seasons.

Hall on Saturday downplayed the significance of reports linking him to the Raiders.

“Somebody’s throwing something out there,” he told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Last month, Hall lashed out at the Falcons over their attempt to trade him. Hall said he felt “betrayed” and that the team “kind of stabbed me in the back” for saying they wanted him back next season and at the same time seeking a trade.

“I don’t want to stay there,” Hall said at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis last month. “I would go anywhere who wants me. That’s the thing. It’s hard to play for or be part of an organization that doesn’t want you. I just want to go somewhere where I’m wanted.”

Davis has a penchant for taking in players with on- or off-field issues (or both). Hall has had his share, to be sure, including an instance last season in which he lost his composure against the Carolina Panthers. In that game, Hall was called for three penalties on Carolina’s tying drive, and then engaged in a heated exchange with then-coach Bobby Petrino on the sideline.

“I made a mistake. I promise you it won’t happen again, no matter what,” Hall said that day. “It don’t feel good to be the reason your team lost the game, whether it’s giving up a touchdown pass or you get a stupid penalty. It all feels the same. . . . Ultimately, I let the team down.”

Hall later criticized Petrino for the release of veteran defensive tackle Grady Jackson. His outbursts call into question whether he would be a good fit on a team that Kiffin has worked hard with to buy into the team concept and distance itself from potentially divisive players.

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